Spice container supporting shelf



INVENTOR.

El/V0 I. HILL.

' AYTORNE),

July 31, 1951' E: HILL SPICE CONTAINER SUPPORTING SHELF Filed Aug. 26, 1949 Patented July 31, I951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPICE CONTAINER SUPPORTING SHELF Eino I. Hill, Garden City, Mich.

Application August 26, 1949, Serial No. 112,586

3 Claims.

'My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in a spice container supporting shelf adapted for mounting on swingable doors on kitchen cabinets and intended as a supporting shelf for cans of spice and the like. It has been experienced that where a shelf is mounted on the inner surface of a cabinet door which is swingable and a board or the like is mounted on the upper edge to provide a channel for receiving such containers, there is ordinarily insufiicient room for raising the articles up high enough to remove them so that such a construction is impracticable. In the present invention, it is intended that such disadvantage be avoided by forming a spice supporting shelf which is free from any upwardly standing wall or abutment at at the forward edge and-which will be provided with a 'swingable guard or engagement member for engaging the containers and preventing them from moving off the supporting shelf when the door is opened or closed, while at the same time this guard may be swung downwardly to permit free and easy removal of the articles from the shelf.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a supporting shelf of this class which will be simple in structure, economical of manufacture, durable and highly efficient in use.

. Another object of the invention is the provision of a supporting shelf having a bottom and provided with a swingable guard which may be swung upwardly into guarding position and retained in this position while at the same time it may be readily released for movement downwardly out of guarding position.

Other objects will appear herein after.

It is recognized that various modifications and changes may be made in the detail of structure illustrated without departing from the invention and it is intended that the disclosure herein shall constitute but the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Forming a part of this specification are drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the invention with parts broken away and with parts removed,

Fig. 2 is an end elevational View of the invention showing it mounted in position,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the invention mounted in position,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 2.

As shown in the drawings, the invention isintended for mounting on a swingable door M of a cabinet l5, the door l4 serving as a support for the supporting shelf 6. The shelf comprises a bottom I2 projecting upwardly from which at opposite ends are the end walls 8 and 9 each of which is diagonally cut at the forward edge and provided with the curled bead l0. Extending outwardly from each of these end walls at the rear edge is a flange H which lies in the same plane as the downwardly projecting flange l3 which extends downwardly from the rear edge of the bottom l2, these flanges serving as means for securing the structure to the support M. A flange [6 extends upwardly from the forward edge of the bottom l2 and is provided with the inwardly turned lip I1.

Pressed outwardly from the outer face of each of the end walls is a boss 18 which is rectangular in shape and which is adapted to seat in the rectangular cup 20 formed on the spring arm l9. This spring arm I9 is provided intermediate its ends with the outwardly bulged recess 26 and at its lower edge with the inwardly directed flange 21 which engages the under surface of the bottom l2. The upper end of the arm I9 is secure to the end wall by means of the rivet 19a.

Mounted on the under surface of the bottom l2 at opposite ends thereof are sockets 2|. A U-shaped guard 22 is provided which is preferably formed from wire and which is provided with the legs 23, each of which has the inwardly turned portion 24 projecting through the sockets 2| so that this U-shaped guard is thus swingably mounted on the bottom. The legs are adapted to lie between the spring arms I 9 and the outer face of the end wall so that when swung upwardly into guarding position as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, a leg 23 will snap into the recess formed on the inner surface of the spring arm I9 and thus the guard member will be held in elevated position so that the guard 22 will engage the outer faces of the containers 25 which are positioned upon the shelf. Thus when the door is swung open or closed, the tendency of these articles 25 to move off the shelf is prevented by the guard 22 as well as by the flange l6. When it is desired to remove one of the articles from the supporting shelf, the guard 22 may be rocked downwardly as a downward pull on this guard member will cause the spring arms I9 to spring outwardly sufiiciently to release the legs 23 for downward swinging. When this guard is swung downwardly, the articles may be easily removed from the shelf and the guard may be easily and quickly swung upwardly into guarding position again.

Experience has shown that this supporting shelf is most eflicient in use and the shelves may be mounted one above the other in close proximity while at the same time, the articles are securely held in position until the guard member is removed. It is believed obvious from a description of the invention that the structure may be very economically manufactured.

What I claim is:

l. A supporting shelf of the class described adapted for supporting loose articles and comprising: a bottom; an end wall on each end of said bottom and projecting upwardly therefrom and extending from the rear edge of said bottom towards the forward edge of said bottom; a guard member swingably mounted on said bottom and swingable upwardly and downwardly relatively to said bottom and adapted upon upward swinging relatively to said bottom for engaging loose articles placed on said bottom and preventing forward tilt of the same; a boss projected outwardly from the outer face of each of said end walls; a resilient arm having a cup shaped portion on one end for fitting over said boss; a rivet securing said cup shaped portion and said boss together, said arm having intermediate its ends on its inner face a recess for reception of said guard member upon swinging of said guard member upwardly for retaining said guard member in upwardly swung position, said arm being flexible outwardly at its free end sufiicient for disengaging said guard member and permitting downward swinging of the same.

2. A supporting shelf of the class described adapted for supporting loose articles and comprising; a bottom; an end wall on each end of said bottom and projecting upwardly therefrom and extending from the rear edge of said bottom towards the forward edge of said bottom; a guard member swingably mounted on said bottom and swingable upwardly and downwardly relatively to said bottom and adapted upon upward swinging relatively to said bottom for engaging loose articles placed on said bottom and preventing forward tilt of the same; a boss projected outwardly from the outer face of each of said end walls; a resilient arm having a cup shaped portion on one end for fitting over said boss; a rivet securing said cup shaped portion and said boss together, said arm having intermediate its ends on its inner face a recess for reception of said guard member upon swinging of said guard mem- '4 ber upwardly for retaining said guard member in upwardly swung position, said arm being flexible outwardly at its free end suflicient for disengaging said guard member and permitting downward swinging of the same; and an inwardly projecting flange on the free end of said arm for engaging the under surface of said bottom.

3. A supporting shelf of the class described adapted for supporting loose articles and comprising; a bottom; an end wall on each end of said bottom and projecting upwardly therefrom and extending from the rear edge of said bottom towards the forward edge of said bottom; a guard member swingably mounted on said bottom and swingable upwardly and downwardly relatively to said bottom and adapted upon upward swinging relatively to said bottom for engaging loose articles placed on said bottom and preventing forward tilt of the same; a boss projected outwardly from the outer face of each of said end walls; a resilient arm having a cup shaped portion on one end for fitting over said boss; a rivet securing said cup shaped portion and said boss together, said arm having intermediate its ends on its inner face a recess for reception of said guard member upon swinging of said guard member upwardly for retaining said guard member in upwardly swung position, said arm being flexible outwardly at its free end sufiicient for disengaging said guard, member and permitting downward swin ing of the same; and an inwardly projecting flange on the free end of said arm for engaging the under surface of said bottom; and an up,- wardly projecting flange along the front edge of said bottom.

EINO I. HILL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in, the 

